It’s your wedding day. They said it would be one of the happiest days of your life.

My name is Habon, I am a 17 year old youth advocate. I have
been campaigning in Bristol about Female Genital Mutilation for
three years as part of a youth group called Empowering.
Empowering have been very active in the campaign against FGM by
hosting our own conference and performing our own poetry.

It’s your wedding day. They said it would be one of the happiest
days of your life. At your friend’s wedding the bride and the
groom had shed tears of joy. You thought that would be you. Fast
forward three years and you’re faced with a complete stranger, or
maybe he isn’t? Either way you clearly expressed the fact that
you didn’t want to marry him. Your cries fell on deaf ears. How
did you reach this point, being forcibly married to a man you
want nothing to do with.

They said it was because you had become “too westernised”.

They said he came from a wealthy family and that he could take
care of you.

They said you were protecting the family name and to refuse
would be “dishonourable”.

They, however, failed to remember that you HAVE a choice; no
one is allowed to marry you without your consent. However, when
the day came no one was there to stop it or rescue you.

You were angry and bitter, this wasn’t the sort of marriage
you wanted.

It took you two long years of suffering in silence to speak
out; but when you did you realised that you were brave enough to
change the hand that fate had dealt you and seek help.

To this day your marriage has been terminated and you are
slowly trying to rebuild your relationship with your family on
your own terms.

In 2013, the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) gave advice or support
related to a possible forced marriage in 1302 cases.

82% of cases involved female victims and 18% involved male
victims.

The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 makes it a
criminal offence to force someone to marry, this includes:

Taking someone overseas to force them to marry (whether or not
the forced marriage takes place)

Marrying someone who lacks the mental capacity to consent to the
marriage (whether they’re pressured to or not)

Forcing someone to marry can result in a sentence of up to 7
years in prison.

As you can see forced marriage is not something that happens
solely in “less developed” countries. There are British citizens
who are living with the very real threat of being forced to
marry. This is why we should all lend our voices to the campaign
against forced marriage as well as child and early marriage.

Contact the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) if you’re trying to stop a
forced marriage or you need help leaving a marriage you’ve been
forced into.

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Voices of Youth (VOY) was founded in 1995 as UNICEF’s online place for young people to learn more about issues affecting their world. Today, VOY is a vibrant community of youth bloggers from all over the world, offering inspiring, original insight and opinion on a variety of topics. Everyone is welcome to write, film, comment and engage in discussions. Let’s go!